Uninvited Guests
by Akabeko
Summary: A series of KuroFai vignettes of different descriptions.
1. In the Biblical Sense of the Word

Beta'd by the lovely cienna. Tsubasa is not mine. Comments and concrit welcome and appreciated.

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**Uninvited Guests, or In the Biblical Sense of the Word**

Fai, by nature, was a curious person. He loved to know things. He loved to learn things. Not in the way Syaoran did, though. Fai didn't so much want to know about things that a book might tell you, about things that the earth or a building might show, but rather he liked to know about people. What they did, what they said, maybe even what they thought. He liked to talk, but he also liked to listen. And people were always more willing to speak to someone who practically _oozed_ easy friendship and light, meaningless conversation. And then he could learn about them, and know them, without them even realizing it.

Kurogane was different. His replies were sporadic and minimal at best. Non-existent, or consisting of nothing more than an angry scowl at worst. More so than ever of late. Fai didn't mind so much, as even the retorts and the growls told him things, things that helped him get to know mysterious, dark, stranger-Kurogane a bit better. But there was only so much an insult could tell you. And so, with that in mind, and in his worthy pursuit of knowledge, Fai found himself that evening leaning tentatively against the door to Kurogane's room. Listening.

It all started three days ago with their arrival in this world of bright lights and dark alleys, and with an argument which had amused Fai no end. Kurogane clearly hadn't felt the same way and now refused to even acknowledge the other man's existence, let alone speak to him, so Fai was reduced to listening. Always just listening; to when Kurogane spoke to Syaoran, imparting some new deep and meaningful advice to the boy in his own rough way, or shouted at Mokona for climbing into his clothes _again_, or just mumbled to himself, cursing everything to hell and back. But mostly cursing Fai. Not that Fai minded so much, because he wanted to know, and he found he liked listening to Kurogane anyway. That deep, dark, angry tone, tinged with the honey-sweet taste of someone who really _cares_, so different from anything Fai has ever heard before. His brutal honesty too, sharp and merciless. Fai loved it all. Reveled in it all. Kurogane's fiery passion was something he didn't think he could ever get enough of. So he teased and he prodded and he pushed, and sometimes he wondered if Kurogane knew what Fai was doing, but mostly he just didn't care. He just wanted to _know_ Kurogane. But perhaps this time he had bitten off a little more than he could chew.

At first, it had all seemed normal enough. Kurogane was mumbling something about his dislike for the clothes of this world, constricting and uncomfortable in the heated climate. The world was polluted, dying, but not altogether devoid of hope. Rather, it seemed to dance naked along a knife-edge, either unaware or unconcerned about its imminent fall into darkness. It was the end of the world. And the world was celebrating. Fai loved it. Bleakness and hope, fear and audacity, piety and irreverence, all in one joyous, sorrowful place and people. It made him feel almost dizzy with excitement.

Anyway, Kurogane mumbling profanities: everything normal. There followed the distinctive swish of de-robing, the brush of bristle against teeth and the sound of water falling against porcelain. Kurogane: the perfectly proper Ninja in every way. Even keeping his teeth clean. Fai couldn't help but giggle noiselessly at the thought of Kurogane with a mouthful of toothpaste. He would like to see that sometime, he decided, and that made him wonder.

Had Kurogane left the door unlocked? Would he notice if he opened the door just an inch to take a peek? He was a Ninja, true, but Fai was Fai and Kurogane had yet to notice him standing, listening, smirking and thinking oh-so-many wrong thoughts just on the other side of the bedroom door. Not that Fai thought Kurogane was even mildly capable of mind-reading. Just that Fai knew his face could be full of erotic promise and teasing lust when he wanted it to be. And he always wanted it to be when he was around Kurogane.

So then, the door. But Kurogane was gurgling now. Damn. That meant it would all be over soon, and Fai would have to slink back to his uncomfortable bed, away from Kurogane, and back to his own thoughts. Alone.

Fai was about to pull away from the door when he heard something unusual. A gasp. Or something. He thought maybe Kurogane had hurt himself, and he should barge in, proclaiming how he had heard Kurogane's terrible plight from the corridor and had heroically come to help. (And that would, after all, constituted a reasonable pretext for Fai to harass Kurogane further that night. Even if the man wasn't talking to him.) But something in the way Kurogane's voice curled into something Fai could only describe as a moan stopped him. He listened.

Flesh on flesh. Rubbing? Fast, pitched breathing. A loud gulp and… oh… so that's what Kuro-rin was up to. Well that was unexpected. And Fai could not help but press his ear closer to the door, and hold onto the handle in an effort to still himself. His face felt hot, and he knew he shouldn't be listening, and he knew it would be _bad_ if Sakura or Syaoran found him like this, but he just couldn't seem to make himself leave.

"Fai the Stalker", they would have to rename him, Fai thought, and oh Kuro-rin was going at it full tilt now. No denying it, no mistaking it and Fai could not help but imagine Kurogane at that moment, lying on the bed, his face scrunched up into a grimace of pure determination, hands on his own flesh, beating away with the dedication and concentration only a master swordsman could process. There was something more amusing rather than erotic about the scene unfolding in Fai's mind, and Fai wondered if he was being a little too hard on Kurogane. Surely he was capable of tenderness, and it wasn't like the sounds coming from the other side of the room sounded pained or hurried. Rather, Kurogane sounded decidedly relaxed. The old springs of the bed groaned gently under his solid body, and Fai took pleasure in imagining _that_; stretched out and naked, all muscle and... muscle and... and Fai's mind seemed to have stopped at that thought.

It was as though every sound from Kurogane's room were penetrating his whole body now. Fai longed for touch, of his own, of Kurogane's; he didn't really care. But Kurogane's breaths were becoming more erratic now, and there was even a hint of a vaguely suppressed moan as the bed springs creaked again, the swordsman shifting on the bed. A better angle? A better hold? Or something else? And Fai couldn't help but feel a kind of warmth spread through his body and excitement fill him and _damn_ but he wished he could watch, or even better touch Kurogane.

Now there was a thought. His body pressed up against Kurogane, lips together, and then tongues, and licking, and it was almost too much for Fai to resist reaching for his own arousal, to pleasure himself even as Kurogane gasped and moaned and how he wished his own name was on the Ninja's lips as he came. But there was only silence, save the sound of the rusty springs as, Fai imagined, Kurogane arched up into his own hand at the end of it all.

Fai was glad it was over really. Any longer and he would have had no choice but to follow Kurogane's lead right there in the corridor. And that would have been a bad thing. Still, it almost burned, that desire which Kurogane had unwittingly ignited in him. He stood there, at the door, waiting for the blood to stop pounding past his eyes, waiting for his own breath to slow and his knees to stop threatening to give out, grateful for his grip on the door knob. Just hoping his trembling and breathing wouldn't alert the Ninja to his presence. Fai listened then, to the sounds of running water, towel, footsteps back to the bed then covers being lifted, creaky springs. More creaky springs. Kurogane going to bed. As though nothing had happened. Though really, Fai thought, nothing really had. Quiet then, calm, Kurogane going to sleep, and it really was very cold now out in that corridor.


	2. Observing the Unobservable

So I enjoyed the last so much, I decided to write something ofa continuation.

Tsubasa is not mine.

Comments and concrit welcome and appreciated.

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**Observing the Unobservable**

It would be a pleasant, temperate, just-right-for-a-picnic day in hell when Kurogane would admit _anything _to Fai. The man used information like he used a sword. He would take whatever Kurogane said and shape it and mould it and make it Fai-brain-shaped and shove it back in his face all twisted and distorted and _completely _untrue. Even a wrong _look_ and Fai would be on the battlements shouting; "Kuro-pon loooooves me!" No, it was all too much trouble. Alcohol or no, he would keep his mouth shut.

Fai was slurring. And everyone (read: Kurogane) knew that when Fai started slurring he had reached that point in drinking when one has had so much that one finds oneself stone-cold sober. Kurogane wondered why he even bothered. Fai knew he knew. And, yes, while they would both have ringing headaches in the morning, they would spend the night staring each other down; Fai in his fake-inebriety and Kurogane in his oh-so-not-fake bad mood. Kurogane really did wonder why they even bothered. It seemed unfair too, that they should feel it the next morning without even having the satisfaction that they got rip-roaringly drunk the night before and had a great time.

A great time. Except for Kurogane that usually involved hurting people. Except maybe that was what he was doing here, with Fai, watching the idiot be… an idiot. Even so, he wouldn't leave. There was something of an unspoken challenge in their drinking together; how much drink can you hold? How much of me can you really stand? What will you say? And that was why Kurogane wasn't going to admit _anything_.

"You seem tired today, Kuro-pon," Fai was teasing him now. "What were you up to last night?" Kurogane eyed him suspiciously. His voice, Kurogane noticed. It titled just the other side of innocence enough to set Kurogane on edge. Don't admit a thing, he told himself for the thousandth time that night, and instead took a large swig from the bottle in his hand. Vile stuff. All vinegar and suspect floaty-bits that reminded Kurogane more of the steaming, rubbish infested rivers of this world than a drinkable liquid. He was stalling and he knew it.

And of course, Fai knew it too. He was smiling, all lop-sided and drunken and what anyone other than Kurogane would call cute. But there was mischief in his eyes, and to Kurogane's mind Fai was about as cute as barbed wire laced with poison. Still, it was an addictive poison, so Kurogane formed his words carefully, and decorated them with a scowl and an annoyed growl.

"Last night?" Kurogane motioned to the window. "It's almost dawn and you think I look tired because I was up late _last_ night?" Fai looked blearily then at the window. He was squinting, as though he couldn't quite focus and Kurogane wondered for a moment if Fai really was drunk this time. Or maybe he actually had bad eyesight. Who knew?

"I can't tell," he sighed heavily. Dramatics, Kurogane thought. "The window is too dirty." Pointless, Kurogane thought, and it all reminded him of this world and why he hated it. There was no _reason_ for anything. People disappeared and no one cared. No one tried to live a life beyond that day. No one helped. No one hindered. No one seemed to do anything but make booze in their bathtubs. Fai was turning his head back to look at Kurogane again.

"You like this place, don't you?" Kurogane asked. Deflection technique. Fai knew it but would play the game as though he didn't just the same.

"It has its merits," he replied, then laughed. "One of which is _not_ their drink." He waved the bottle at Kurogane, unsettling a mist of unidentifiable dregs. Kurogane cringed. He had been trying to forget about that. "And you," Fai pronounced, "do not, I take it?" And that was a question that was not a question.

"You'd have to be mad to like a world like this," he replied, and noted Fai's smirk at the implication.

"No one could ever call you subtle, Kuro-rin," Fai almost-sang, but his eyes were piercing and oddly cold and Kurogane felt there was some kind of dare in that gaze. Or else _he_ was going mad. And who could really blame him? With two kids, a white _thing_ and _Fai_ for company what exactly was there to keep himself attached to reality. Especially when reality kept changing every few weeks or so.

Back to glaring then. That was fine with Kurogane. He was good at that. Glaring was safe and unsurprisingly more interesting than listening to the stupid wizard. Babble. And very much like the brooks of _this _world. Full of…

"Kuro-pon is always so straightforward."

…themselves.

"You had better not be calling me stupid, damn wizard," Kurogane countered. Fai was fishing for something, and, if Kurogane could help it, he wasn't going to let the fool get it.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Fai replied in a tone which demonstrated he_ would_ dream of it, and in fact just had and what was Kurogane going to do about it?

Kurogane was going to grunt in response and wait. Kurogane would be no carp on a line. He wondered for a moment at the fishing metaphors, then decided it must be because he was tired. The sun was clearly rising now; casting weird shadows over the room shaped through blackened, cracked glass. And not for the first time Kurogane hated this world and felt for a moment justified in longing childishly for home. Where people were normal. Mostly.

"Hm," Fai sighed, and it sounded final. Then, "I'm going to bed." He put the almost-empty bottle down on the floor and made to stand up. Kurogane stared, and it didn't involve a scowl.

"What?" Fai never left first. Kurogane was always the one to declare the night's glaring over. Fai _never_ left before him. "You're acting weird." Pissed-off face, Kurogane ordered himself, thinking that maybe this was all an evil ploy to get him to say _something_. Fai laughed then.

"But, Kuro-rin, you say I _always_ act weird."

"You do," Kurogane confirmed, and it only struck him then that he hadn't shouted at Fai for those stupid names in at _least_ an hour. The thought disturbed him. The mage was clearly addling his brain. Or maybe it was the suspect alcohol. And now Fai really _was _leaving, and even though it _should_ have felt like a victory to Kurogane, it didn't feel like anything at all. And not for the first time Kurogane wondered why they bothered.

"Oi," was all he could think to say, as though that would make Fai start acting weirdly as normal and come and sit back down. There was a good hour left yet until the sun was fully up. Fai stopped, and turned his head back to Kurogane, a strange smile on his face.

"Do you like listening to people, Kuro-pon?" he asked, and his smile grew wider. "I do." Kurogane shifted uncomfortably where he sat on the floor. Fai was going somewhere with this and he wasn't sure if he was going to like it. No, he certainly _wasn't_ going to like it.

"Seems to me you prefer talking to listening," Kurogane said.

"And you prefer fighting to talking, but it doesn't mean you do it all the time," Fai countered, in a voice which screamed "I know something you don't, Kuro-in!"

"So?"

"So." Fai paused, then asked in what for Fai passed as seriously, "Why are you talking to me again, Kuro-pon?" Another pause, for dramatic effect, Kurogane concluded, and was right. "Did something happen last night?"

And then there was a whole lot of silence in which Kurogane wished he hadn't been right. He was a Ninja after all, and Fai was Fai and always seemed to know _everything_. That was annoying. Kurogane really wished they could just go back to the usual glaring.

"It's none of my business what you do." And at that Fai really did laugh.

"And it's none of mine what you do! But you _mind _enough to start talking to me again!" Well, yes, and if Kurogane was honest with himself, which he usually was, he would have to concede that re-opening normal relations with the wizard had been a bad move. As Fai had said, not subtle at all.

"Fine," Kurogane conceded. "I know and you know and you knew that I knew, so whatever." And Kurogane couldn't deny that his reply made no sense. "It's still got nothing to do with me." Fai laughed even harder at that, his features fixing into a look of pure… _depravity_ was the only word Kurogane could think for it. There was smugness too, and _definite_ mischief in the way his lips smirked and his eyes fixed on Kurogane.

"Then you won't mind," he said slowly, "if next time I get to watch…"


	3. Steadfast and Hungry

It seems i'm unstoppable. Usual thanks and disclaimers. Concrit always welcome etc.

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**Steadfast and Hungry**

It never seemed to be daytime. The skies were so thick with black smoke and strange mists that the sun never really had a chance. It served only to create red, fractious patterns over the world as it rose and sank. Day was only a slightly less dark version of night. Electricity burned continuously, buzzing and humming and giving out strange artificial heat and over-bright white light and all the while wearing the world down just that little bit more. The sound and the glow and the warmth fascinated Fai. Like a moth to a flame, Kurogane had said, and though Fai had never even heard of a moth, he took it as an insult anyway. Which it had been.

They drifted. Street to house, house to bar, bar to street, deeper and deeper into the darker side of the world. All the while Kurogane complained and balked at the air and glared at the people and glared at Fai, as though this world was _his_ fault. Fai watched Kurogane, and Kurogane watched back and they wandered around together, looking for a feather that wasn't theirs. Another bar, another in-any-other-world undrinkable drink, and Kurogane was getting himself into another argument.

Fai watched in silence, leaning back on an old wooden chair which had seen better days and an upholsterer who had been either drunk or really into Contemporary Design. He counted off the Prerequisite Warning Signs for Kurogane's Loss of Temper on his fingers. Set jaw (one), solid stance (two), straight back (three), shoulders tense (four), deep, brooding frown (only four and a half really, because Kurogane wore it most of the time anyway). It was only a quarter past so-called-tequila-shot and the Ninja was already in full swing; hand gripping his sword tightly (five and a half), a warning his soon-to-be opponents neither noticed nor heeded. Two more drinks, or one insult, and Kurogane would be trying to beat information out of people again.

Kurogane claimed to hate this world, but there was a wide, feral grin on his face as he downed another drink. It was anticipation. Fai had seen it so many times. In this world, in that world, in his own world. It was the anticipation of a good fight. Or a bad fight. Fai got the impression Kurogane didn't really care just so long as he was fighting _something_. Which was probably why Kurogane liked him so much, Fai concluded. Everything they ever did together seemed like a battle; a conversation became a challenge, a grin became a dare, a touch became inevitable disagreement. It was always the same in some ways, but it was a game Fai thought he would never tire of. Maybe Kurogane wouldn't either. They would look and prod and wander together and sit on the floor and drink but still their conversations would go nowhere. They would go nowhere.

Fai would have sighed dramatically, and lamented the tragedy that was their relationship. Except they didn't really have one and Fai didn't feel like it anyway. He was enjoying watching Kurogane too much. It felt oddly voyeuristic; wasn't _he_ the one Kurogane should be directing those dangerous scowls at? Gritted teeth, clenched fists and the rest. Didn't Kurogane reserve those just for him? Well no. They were for everyone, really. How sharing Kuro-pon could be, Fai thought sardonically. But still. Fai took some perverse pride in seemingly being the only person in the universe (that he knew of) who could effect Kurogane the way he did. Kurogane's words to him more terse than simply bored, his looks more piercing and honest. And longer. And more often. And in this place there was no civility or regard between them. Or between Kurogane and the world. Fai liked Kurogane like this, all emotion and illogic.

He was watching. It didn't take long. Another's touch, and Kurogane was brushing them off, fiercely smacking the unfortunate man into the floor. There were protests and insults exchanged, Kurogane's demands reiterated with a most obvious handle on his sword now, but they would not yield. Pride was at stake and Fai scoffed at the concept, especially at such a thing in such a world. But he recognised that Kurogane knew it well and could not help but wonder if Kurogane was actually picking a fight.

Knives were produced, and sharper words. Fai finished his drink, gagging slightly at the vinegar-esque aftertaste, and stood, meeting the eyes of the man sitting at the next table. He was all black beard and long shaggy hair, dark eyes reflecting curiosity rather than the usual suspicion. Fai smiled. There was a loud smash, shouts, laughter and cries of foul play rising from the crowd. Fai looked back to see Kurogane clutching the back of his head with his left hand, red running over his fingers. There was glass on the floor and raw rage on Kurogane's face. He didn't turn, stood his ground like a good Ninja. His assailants attacked anyway. Fai was surprised. In the few seconds he had looked away, an argument with one man had become a fight with three. Fai stepped back, closer to the door, and leaned against the wall, smiling and wondering if Kurogane had always been this _bad_ or if it was the world corrupting him. He wondered how else Kurogane might be corrupted. And Fai watched, along with all the other drifters and hopeless of this world, indifference and defeat smeared as clearly as the grime covering their dull faces.

Hand still to his head Kurogane swung high and caught the tallest of the attackers on the side of the head with the back of his sword. The man spun away, hit the bar and fell unceremoniously to the floor. Fai cringed. He wouldn't want to be down there. It was sticky underfoot, coated in stains of every shade of dirt, and littered with the detritus of an age of not-being-cleaned. Another body fell, tripping over the first as he backed away. Kurogane's eyes narrowed and he used the butt of the sword to punch the remaining assailant in the stomach, hand still clutching his head. Show off. The crowd cheered and booed and were generally noisy as the man doubled over, hacking up what looked worryingly like the liquor they served at the bar. His partner growled and made to retrieve his knife, but before he could stand Kurogane turned away and made for the door, his eyes fixed on Fai. No smile now. No grin. But no frown either. Fai thought perhaps this was Kurogane's Special Stress Relief Technique. There were yells and curses but Kurogane didn't seem to notice. He just took Fai's arm roughly with a bloody hand and pulled him from the bar. He didn't look back. They wouldn't follow. It was the reason Kurogane turned his back on them. Cowards.

"You enjoyed that." Kurogane's voice was tinged with anger, and annoyance. But it sounded more like Kurogane was angry at himself rather than Fai. He continued to drag Fai down the narrow, brown-lit street. Fai let him.

"You enjoyed it more." And that didn't help. The frown returned and Kurogane grunted in disapproval. Fai chuckled.

"I hate this place," Kurogane spat and turned a corner, lowering his hand from the back of his head and gripping his sword tightly. Maybe the bleeding had stopped but thick red still clung to Kurogane's hair and neck. That had to have hurt. Still, Kurogane seemed unconcerned with his wound, eyes and concentration fixed unwaveringly before him, cautious and wary. Fai watched him and realized he was protecting him. Fai let him.

"You seemed to be having fun back there," Fai teased, an easy grin on his face. Kurogane _made_ it easy.

"Damn," he swore, pulling Fai closer to his side and Fai could _see_ Kurogane listening. It's just that hum, Kuro-mii, Fai thought. That light that they make. It was noisy and Fai wondered if it was deafening to the Ninja. "I'm going to end up like you at this rate." And Fai had a clap a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter at that.

"Like me?" he asked through fingers and guffaws. Kurogane spared him an accusing look, then scowled back at the shadows. "No one can be like me!" Movement in the darkness beyond the light, and Kurogane's grip on his arm tightened.

"Crazy like you," Kurogane clarified, not disagreeing, his voice lower now. Fai thought it pointless and there was an eruption of riotous laughter somewhere in the distance. There was that knife-edge again. "This world is insane," Kurogane said distastefully. This time Fai did not disagree.

"I don't see," Fai said, amusement in his voice, "How my mental state has anything to do with you starting bar-room brawls, Kuro-chi." Kurogane was picking up speed. He scoffed.

"I didn't start it."

"Uh huh," Fai replied agreeably, earning him another pointed look from Kurogane. He offered a bright smile in return. Kurogane stopped walking and stared at him. In the dim street light all Fai could see was angry shadows and piercing red eyes. This, Fai thought, Is what I believe is called "a moment", and wondered if he should be blushing or something. Except he wasn't fifteen and didn't think he had ever blushed at anything in his life that didn't involve severe wind-chill factors or inordinately high alcohol percentages.

Kurogane's face snapped to the side, red eyes focused and seeing something beyond the darkness that Fai could not. But he could feel it. Something living. Something dangerous. Silent movement that Kurogane's eyes followed intently and Fai couldn't help but chuckle. Kurogane's Super Secret Ninja Technique: Ultimate Glare Of Doom!

"What's so funny?" Kurogane demanded, usual irritation in his voice coating tension and caution. He started moving again, slowly at first, eyes still locked to the shadows.

"You don't need a sword, Kuro-rin." Fai was teasing again, his tone carefree and oddly suited to the situation. "All you need is those eyes and you'll scare off any enemy." Faster walking and a slight lessening of his grip on Fai. Kurogane's frown deepened and Fai knew he'd hit a nerve somewhere.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurogane mumbled. Moodily.

"It's the glare," Fai replied, always choosing his words carefully. Kurogane humphed and it sounded like approval. "I've been subjected to it enough, so I should know how _scary_ it is," Fai went on. A left turn, a right turn. Fai had no idea where they were. Hadn't been paying attention and was surprised that he didn't much care. "You do know where we're going, right?" he asked anyway and Kurogane didn't deign to answer. "Because if you don't…"

And then Fai was wrenched into an alley, pitch black, air thick and heavy in the confined space and Kurogane pushed him against the wall and stood in front of him, looking back out into the light. Fai didn't like it. He couldn't see and the walls felt too close. He looked up, hoping to see the sky, but all he could see was walls and black and a dark shadow that was Kurogane. Fai took the arm he was still being held with, needing to hold onto something that wasn't damp and cold and fell apart in his hand in what for him was nothingness. Kurogane stepped closer, which wasn't really helping the claustrophobia threatening to grip Fai, but he appreciated the gesture anyway and just held that arm and heard figures running past out in that world of light.

Then Kurogane's mouth was at his ear, whispering.

"I don't start fights unless I have to," as though that ended their earlier discussion.

"But did you have to prove your point by dragging me down this horrible alley?" Even if he couldn't see Kurogane, Fai knew full well that Kurogane could see him, so he painted a mock-annoyed grin on his face that wasn't really mock at all. Kurogane moved closer still.

"Are you scared?" There was amusement in his voice. Another challenge and Fai didn't think this was very fair when he couldn't even see Kurogane's arm planted beside his head, or Kurogane's eyes burning trails across his neck. But he could feel it. Fai raised his free hand to rest on Kurogane's shoulder and pulled him a little closer.

"Why would I be scared," he chided, "When I have a big strong Ninja like you to protect me." Kurogane snorted a laugh and made to move back, but Fai wasn't losing this round and he held Kurogane still and let the hand lying on the Ninja's shoulder roam up his neck and across his face to his lips. Kurogane said nothing, and for a moment they just stood there in the darkness and the dampness and Fai felt Kurogane's breath against his finger and Kurogane's hand on his arm. What was he waiting for anyway? Wasn't this about as much as he was going to get by way of invitation? He wished he could see Kurogane's face. He imagined a scowl, more curious than angry and went with that image as his hand slid to Kurogane's chin and he leaned forward to within inches of his face, eyes searching for eyes. Still shadow, but now that shadow was breathing harder than usual and Fai wondered if the Ninja knew he was doing that. It made him wonder what he looked like to Kurogane. Not a dark shapeless form. Not a dim shadow of reality. But Fai was grateful for the breath and the not-silence and pressed his lips to Kurogane's.

Kurogane did nothing for a moment, not surprised or angry or anything, so Fai just ran his tongue along Kurogane's lips, tasting bad liquor and feeling warm skin. His hand slid to the back of the Ninja's neck and he felt drying blood and cold flesh and it just _felt_ like Kurogane should. He was kissing him, then Kurogane was kissing him back, intense, serious, _angry_. Kurogane pressed Fai harder against the wall, his hands now running over his body in search of something that wasn't rough, dark cloth. Lips together, hands and tongues struggling, and the world beyond that alley forgotten.

Fai kissed him. Kurogane let him.


	4. A Battle of Wills

More smutty than the last chapters. One day this fic might grow a plot. But not yet,my friends, not yet.

Cienna asked for "hard and fast up against a wall", so she gets it.

Comments and concrit warmly welcomed and appreciated.

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**A Battle Of Wills**

He was there again.

There was no sound. Just a lingering presence beyond the closed door. The last vestige of denial, and a constant reminder that really, _really_ this shouldn't be happening.

Except it always did. It was almost becoming a routine. Habit. Second nature. Not odd at all, _really_, to have another man stand outside your bedroom door and listen to you. Doing things.

Except it wasn't, was it. It was several kingdoms and a rather large desert away from normal, really. At least, it was to Kurogane. Fai, the Ninja reflected, probably did this kind of thing all the time. In whatever screwed up cold place the stupid wizard had come from it was probably a national spectator sport. That's what Kurogane told himself anyway. And he would have believed it, but for Fai's eyes and the way they looked at him those mornings when they were alone. Amusement, lust and vague distance, all directed at him. Ignoring it was easier.

So here Kurogane was. More or less comfortable in his denial. That Fai could be his. That Fai was not as crazy as he seemed, and yet far more insane. And that Fai was standing outside his door. Again.

He would make him wait. Take his time. And, Kurogane reminded himself quickly, it had nothing to do with increasing the anticipation. Of listening to Fai waiting silently just beyond his reach. Of thinking about that slight body under his hands or that yellow hair of his brushing skin. He wasn't thinking that at all. He was making Fai wait. In a bad way. Really.

Kurogane stood up from the bed and went over to the window. Check the locks. Pull the thick curtains tightly closed. Not exciting at all. Think about washing dishes, reading history books, tying your shoelaces, ice cold showers, pink umbrellas, sharpening swords, warm beds, soft skin and this really didn't seem to be working anymore.

It was too little, too late, Kurogane reflected. But he was still determined to draw this out. And maybe he could even not go through with this at all. Whatever this was. Maybe he would just get into bed and enjoy a long night of _sleeping_ and _snoring_ and maybe even dribbling on his pillow a bit for added effect. See what the mage thought about _that_.

But that was what he told himself every night they were like this, and every night ended the same way.

He tore off layers of damp clothes, not his clothes, and threw them to the floor. Not his clothes, he thought again and for a moment imagined Fai's clothes laying there with his.

_Denial_, remember, Kurogane reminded himself and set about brushing his teeth, angry at the world and Fai's damn clothes and the toothbrush and that annoying squeaky faucet that had Fai stirring outside.

Anticipation, Kurogane thought and then there was a shift in mood from beyond that door and Kurogane could swear he could just _hear_ Fai telling him to hurry it up.

"But Kuro-rin," the mage would say. "It's so cold out here and I have other people to annoy, you know." And Kurogane decided then and there his hair needed a trim. He crossed the room again, straightening in defiance as he passed the door, and slowly sat down on the bed. There, he stretched and heard muscles popping and wizards fidgeting and smiled to himself victoriously.

Kurogane had to wonder if he was enjoying this too much. He stretched again and then remembered he was looking for some scissors.

"In the bedside table," he remembered Fai saying and why exactly did Fai know there were scissors in his bedroom anyway? Kurogane looked down at it.

The table was old and battered and grimy like everything else in that world, and oh-so-very resistant when he tried to wrench its one tiny drawer open. One particularly vicious assault later and the drawer handle separated from its drawer with an ominous snap.

There was a muffled cough from beyond the door and Kurogane looked up, surprised at the noise. Perhaps tonight would be different after all. And all it had taken was a broken drawer.

Kurogane sat for a moment, considering all the possible meanings of a cough from a deranged wizard. Fai was asking to come in? Fai wanted to know what the snap was about and was really hoping it wasn't any body parts? Fai knew what happened and was laughing? Fai had a cold from standing in cold corridors for hours on end almost every night?

Kurogane frowned and set the handle down silently on the ancient nightstand.

"Oi," he called, loudly, confidently, and not expecting an answer.

Silence. Silence for this world anyway, which meant grinding machines and noisy people outside and the constant buzz of electricity.

Fai had made a sound and Kurogane wasn't about to let him get away with it.

"Oi," he called again, more forcefully this time and all angry for no reason. There was quiet shifting then and a sigh.

"You're not supposed to know I'm here, Kuro-chi," Fai reminded him, but there was teasing in his voice.

Kurogane snorted.

"_You_ were the one being noisy," he retorted, folding his arms and studiously _not_ looking at the door. Fai said nothing for so long that Kurogane began to wonder if the idiot mage had left. Then, there was a shuffing of fabric and Kurogane could imagine one pale hand placed lightly against the door.

"I was," Fai agreed, more soberly than before but the lightly amused taint was still there.

_Denial_, Kurogane remembered again, but couldn't bring himself to tell Fai to go away.

"You'll catch a cold, standing out there," he said instead, sounding as gruff and uncaring as he felt. Really. He _was_ talking to Fai here, after all.

A gentle laugh in reply.

"I always knew you cared, Kuro-tan."

More silence, which was really starting to irritate Kurogane. Not worry. Never worry. Irritate. Definitely. Or maybe the mage was just waiting for his denial. Maybe Fai was waiting for him to yell and tell him to go away. Well, he wasn't going to. Kurogane wasn't going to give the idiot that satisfaction. He was going to sit here in uncomfortable silence until the mage said something.

Fai coughed again, and Kurogane took that as a question.

"I told you to not stand out there, idiot," he replied. Momentary hesitation then the door knob turned and Kurogane hoped for a moment it would come off like the drawer handle and Fai wouldn't be able to come in because, really, what was he going to do with him when he was standing there. In front of him. All while magic and tight clothes and soft face that Kurogane just _knew_ was going to be the death of him one day.

"Err…" Fai pushed the door open slowly, as though he thought Kurogane might attack him. Which, Kurogane allowed, was still certainly an option. Stupid mage and his stupid craziness. Kurogane paused, turned to look at Fai closing the door behind him now but backed up against it and still holding onto the door handle. His face was blank, but his eyes read uncertainty. Stupid eyes. Stupid looks. Stupid mouth. And Kurogane couldn't help but remember there was a dark dark alley in a dark dark part of town not so long ago in which Kurogane had become very well acquainted with said lips.

He dreamt about it sometimes.

Stupid subconscious.

"Err…" Fai said again, his eyes running over the room as though he'd never seen it before. Kurogane watched him, eyes and face moving and long gangly arm behind him holding onto the door. And clothes. Black and stretched and uncomfortable looking in that thick, muggy night. They were both waiting, Kurogane realised then, to see what the other would do.

_Kiss_, was the first thought that came to mind, followed swiftly by _touch_ and_ lick_ and _strip_ and ran into territory that would have the kids blushing themselves to death.

"Well?" Kurogane snapped, perhaps more at his own vivid imagination than at Fai. And Fai smiled at him.

"You invited me in here, Kuro-mi."

He shifted, hand finally releasing the door and falling to hang at his side, then mischievousness erupted on his face.

"I'm all yours," he smiled sweetly, and looked Kurogane in the eye. More challenges, and it wasn't even dark this time. This time. Suggesting there had been another. Which there had. And Kurogane got the distinct impression he was fighting a losing battle against that denial thing. Why deny it anyway? It was all one-upmanship, no pun intended, and even if it really wasn't, Fai wanted him. Kurogane could see it in his eyes, the way he walked in front of him, leaned over him, licked his lips and _kissed_ him. His lips on his lips and Kurogane wanted more of it.

With a loud squeak and a crunch of the bed Kurogane stood up and turned to Fai.

"Why were you outside my door?" Kurogane asked. A mute point, perhaps, but Kurogane asked anyway. Fai gave him a strange look, as though Kurogane had just asked something so ridiculously obvious he couldn't decide if it was a joke or not. Except for the fact that Kurogane did not joke.

"You never said I could…" Fai trailed off and went back to studying the wallpaper with great and irritating interest. Seemingly, that was supposed to answer his question. And not for the first time Kurogane grit his teeth and wondered if Fai would _ever just give him a damned straight answer_. Well yes, Kurogane reminded himself, He would. If you asked the wrong question.

"Watch?" he asked then, a smirk on his lips and his feet taking him slowly towards the door. Towards the mage, who shrugged and smiled pointlessly but watched him approach with vague interest and a tilt of the head. And it was then that it struck Kurogane, not very hard, but struck nonetheless, that Fai was trying that denial trick too. He should know.

And Fai's hands were still hung loosely at his side when Kurogane stopped inches away and they were so close then that they should have been able to smell each other, but for the heavy air and the sweat and the clothes that weren't theirs and the old bedroom oozing oldness and lived-in-ness. Fai blinked, and Kurogane could see he was looking at his lips.

But this was different. This was them, getting involved like neither of them wanted. It was easy in the dark, with a bellyful of bad booze and a couple of days of no sleep behind you. It was easy to ignore that. But this was them, in the over-brightness of electricity, sober for real and not pretend, invited and expected and knowing and there was a bed in the room and Kurogane was only wearing his underwear and Fai's skin was ice cold when he reached out an arm and laid it on the wizard's neck. It seemed then that warming Fai's skin was the most important thing in the world, so Kurogane leaned down, pressed his face to the cool skin below Fai's ear and kissed him there. And licked him there and for a moment Fai just stood there, undecided, before Kurogane felt a cold hand on his spine and another in his hair.

He pressed forward harder, trapping Fai between himself and the door just as he had in that alley but now he could see where his hands might be going and just what he might be about to do and just who he was about to do it with.

"No watching," he breathed into Fai's ear, and enjoyed the shiver it sent through that body pressed to his and the tightening of that grip on his hair. He'd deny it all later, but now and here he had Fai.

Kurogane let his hands find the hem of Fai's top and sent them creeping under it, warmer skin underneath, thin and soft and Kurogane felt Fai's pulse beating faster against his lips at Fai's throat. He got cold fingers trailing down his back and warm chest pushing into his hands in reply.

"This is…" Fai tried to argue, but a well-placed knee and the wonder of friction shut him up, got him choking back a moan and got those hands to wander ever lower.

Suddenly the room felt hotter. Much hotter. And Fai felt too far away even though he was right there, held firm by Kurogane's weight and inquisitive hands, so Kurogane slid his tongue up Fai's neck until he felt his mouth. Fai's lips were open, all hot breath and smoothness. It was easy for Kurogane to kiss them, and even easier for his tongue to find Fai's and challenge it to a battle of wills.

It was then that Fai's cold, distracted hands found purpose and took to their task with focus and dedication, finding their way into Kurogane's pants in record time.

"It's not a race…" Kurogane ground out between hard-earned breaths as Fai's had slid over him far more skilfully than Kurogane thought it right for someone to have. Fai just smiled back at him all innocence and puppies, and Kurogane wanted nothing more then than to wipe that stupid grin off the idiot's face, so he pushed his mouth back against those insane lips and wrapped his arms around Fai so tightly he hoped the other man couldn't breathe. Like he couldn't. Right now. With things going on in his trousers he would absolutely _never_ admit to happening. Or even thinking about happening. Except there they were. Happening. And even with his mind somewhere involving lubricating liquids and tangled bed sheets, he could feel his leg moving between Fai's thighs and he could feel heat rising now from the skin of Fai's back beneath his fingers, and it seemed it was a race after all, because Fai was working him with almost frenzied urgency and he couldn't deny that he wasn't behaving much better.

And damn if this wasn't chaffing, but at least his mouth wasn't dry and Fai's hands weren't cold anymore and no corridors or alleyways were involved. And, without a doubt, he couldn't last much longer and by the breathy sounds and heat coming from Fai he wouldn't either. So Kurogane plunged deeper, tasting all of Fai because who knew if this was going to be the last time, or the first time, or a time that they both deny and therefore was not actually a time at all. Fai was doing the same and more as one hand left his cock and found his arse, grabbing it in a ridiculously teenage gesture of possession. It made Kurogane laugh and open his eyes to see Fai looking back at him, amusement there beyond anything else and burning desire on his cheeks before Kurogane decided he'd seen enough. He buried himself in Fai's neck again, sucking there, finding an ear, not caring just so long as there was skin under his tongue and Fai's hands working on him and both of them careening towards impossible speed.

He really couldn't stop. Sanity and logic aside, there wasn't even a reason. Fai was panting and Kurogane _really_ wanted him to come first, but he had a head start and that other wandering hand finding other almost as sensitive parts of his anatomy to play with, so he wasn't entirely surprised when he felt himself thrusting ruthlessly against Fai, the discomfort unbearable any longer. He was grunting, he thought, and wondered at how undignified he sounded, then Fai was coming too and from his prime location just below Fai's ear, Kurogane admired the way the wizard's lips parted, eyes opened, glazed and head fell back revealing yet more pale neck-skin for Kurogane to feast on through the last of his own pleasure.

They were silent for a long time.

Breathing slowed, skin cooled, limbs became sore and Kurogane hid in the crook of Fai's neck, both leaning against him and holding him up. Fai's hands slid awkwardly out of his underwear and returned to hang at his sides.

They were a mess, but still, Fai didn't make any move to free himself from Kurogane's weight or tight embrace and Kurogane didn't feel the need to move either.

Or rather, Kurogane told himself firmly, didn't _want_ to. Not like they were comfortable or anything. Which only went to prove that Fai didn't want to either.

Then Kurogane felt Fai's chest rising and falling erratically as though he was laughing. Which, it turned out, he was.

"Not a race?" he chuckled, turning his head so his chin rested in Kurogane's hair, and raising his hand to look at it in vague disbelief. He sighed, and even that sounded amused.

"I should wash my hands."

"Hm," Kurogane agreed, talking mostly to Fai's neck.

"You'll have to let me go, Kuro-mi," Fai suggested lightly. Kurogane didn't much like that idea, so he grasped Fai more tightly and straightened up so he could see Fai's eyes and maybe decide just what he was going to do. Or, perhaps more pressingly, what exactly he was doing now. Fai was crazy. This was crazy. And apparently, he was now too.

There was an odd look on Fai's face. Apprehensive, unsure, undecided. Nothing good; maybe even something unwanted, but done all the same, and to Kurogane that was that.

"No more corridors," Kurogane said. It was both an offer and an end, and Kurogane knew it was unfair of him to force Fai to decide which but his tightened grip on Fai and the continued press of his body against Fai's was an unmistakable indication of what his preference would be.

Fai smiled.

"No more corridors."


End file.
